Did you know that the creative industry accounts for almost 320,000 jobs, or 6 percent of North Carolina’s workforce? Last week Sec. Kluttz got the chance to meet some of the people who work in and help create those jobs at the North Carolina Presenters Consortium’s (NCPC) annual meeting. The group is a non-profit that represents universities, community colleges, local arts councils, municipalities and other entities that own venues that book artists. The N.C.Arts Council co-produces a large booking conference with NCPC called the ArtsMarket. Like a trade show for the performing arts, the event connects venues with artists to create economic opportunity for both. This year’s conference will take place November 4-6 in Durham. In her remarks to the meeting, Sec. Kluttz stressed that every performance and event is an economic spark and that a thriving arts scene makes communities much more desirable places to live and re-enforces the identity of a place. She also toured the historic Thalian Hall, one of the state’s oldest performing arts venues, and met with local officials.
